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Parkersburg, Belpre food drives strive to sate hunger

Veterans work to unload a truck at the annual Chick Crites Food Drive held Saturday at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Organizers said they collected enough food items to fill two pickup trucks with one going to the DAV Chapter 32 food pantry and the other one going to the Old Man Rivers Mission in south Parkersburg. (Photo by Art Smith)

PARKERSBURG — A couple of local food drives over the weekend collected needed items for the Parkersburg and Belpre areas.

The 6th Annual Chick Crites Food Drive was held Saturday in the parking lot of the Parkersburg News and Sentinel with the donations benefiting the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 32 food pantry and Old Man Rivers. A different food drive Saturday in Belpre was held in the parking lot of the Wash-Rite Unlimited Express at the Kroger’s shopping center with the donations benefiting the Belpre Area Ministries.

The Chick Crites food drive is named after Carl “Chick” Crites, a Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran known for helping other veterans. Crites died in 2020.

“Folks were really generous,” said Bernie Lyons of the Marine Corps Veterans Association of West Virginia and Ohio. “It was a beautiful day, a lot of people came and we were very thankful for that.”

The drive was done with the DAV Chapter 32, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, the Marine Corps Veterans Association and other veteran groups from Ohio and West Virginia.

Bryan Reeder moved two boxes of donated food across the parking lot at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Saturday during the 6th Annual Chick Crites Food Drive. (Photo by Art Smith)

The food drive collected non-perishable foods, canned and boxed foods. Enough food was collected to fill two pickup trucks, one to the DAV Chapter 32 food pantry and the other to the Old Man Rivers Mission in south Parkersburg, Lyons said.

Contributors also gave cash. Donations totaled $1,574 with $787 going to each organization to purchase additional food.

“A lot of people were most generous,” Lyons reiterated. “The good weather really helped the turnout. People were just absolutely fantastic (Saturday).”

The food drive in Belpre was organized by the Belpre Area Veterans organization that does a food drive for the Belpre Area Ministries a couple times a year. The veterans had around eight people out helping collect donations on Saturday as local food banks and so on are preparing for the upcoming holiday season.

Around 21 crates of food and $1,275 in cash were collected Saturday, Bob Hadfield, vice president of Belpre Area Veterans, said.

The Belpre Area Veterans organization held a food drive Saturday at the Wash-Rite Unlimited Express at the Kroger’s shopping center with the donations benefiting Belpre Area Ministries. (Photo Provided)

“It was a whole pickup truck load and then some,” he said.

Community service is a part of the service many veterans still provide to their communities, Hadfield said.

“The Belpre Area Veterans are always trying to help the community,” he said. “We have a few veterans in the community that we help, but we also want to be able to help the whole community.”

Officials with the Belpre Area Ministries were appreciative of the support and the donations.

“It means a lot to us as it shows community support,” said Lisa Stone, president of Belpre Area Ministries. “That is wonderful when people think enough of you to support you and that is great.

Members of the Belpre Area Veterans organization load donations from a food drive Saturday to be delivered to the Belpre Area Ministries. Around 21 crates of food and $1,275 in cash were collected Saturday. (Photo Provided)

“It helps us with our food bill as it is difficult to feed families 52 weeks a year,” she said. “As food prices have remained high. It gives the clients a little more variety and it increases our volume.”

They provide food items and food vouchers through the Belpre Kroger for specific items. They have worked with their clients to try to get certain items as funds and donations have allowed.

The Belpre Area Ministries regularly helps 125-130 families of various sizes every month, Stone said.

“Because we continuously feed people year around, we are always in need of food to help and support people,” she said. “This helps us out and we really appreciate it.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com./em>

Bernie Lyons gets a bag of donated food with other items Saturday at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel during the 6th Annual Chick Crites Food Drive. (Photo by Art Smith)

A cutout of the flag raising on Iwo Jima made by Bryan Reeder helped guide people into the drop off point for the 6th Annual Chick Crites Food Drive held Saturday at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. (Photo by Art Smith)

Members of the Belpre Area Veterans organization unload donations from a food drive Saturday at the Belpre Area Ministries to be distributed to those in need in the community. The Belpre Area Ministries help 125-130 families, of various sizes, with food issues. (Photo Provided)

Veterans work to unload donations from the Marietta chapters of AMVETS, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion at the 6th Annual Chick Crites Food Drive Saturday in the parking lot of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. (Photo by Art Smith)

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